Snow draws children to parks as many skip remote classes in New York City

Many New York City children skipped remote classes on Monday to sled and play in parks across the city, including Central Park, Prospect Park in Brooklyn and Astoria Park in Queens. The citys public schools held online classes, but attendance appeared spotty. In Central Park, children took turns on sleds and tubes; about a dozen school-age children were sledding in Astoria Park with their parents; and Prospect Park featured games of football, fierce snowball fights and a Long Meadow hill so crowded with sleds that rides down the slope "resembled bumper cars." Parents and pupils voiced frustration with the decision to hold classes.

Tereza Flusser said she brought her 8-year-old son to Prospect Park after morning remote classes that she described as "chaotic," and argued that remote learning on snowy days should be reserved for older students. Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who made the call on Sunday to keep classes, said his hands were tied by a requirement that the city have 180 school days annually.

Two 9-year-olds and other children said school should have been canceled; the mayor had invited students to "pelt" him over the decision.

Key Topics

Culture, New York City, Prospect Park, Central Park, Astoria Park, Zohran Mamdani